The mental health of workers is usually not a priority for companies but leaders from some large corporations are taking the lead to promote happy workplaces.
Representatives of 18 private and public sector bodies have formed a work group that meets every two months to discuss ways to boost their workers’ emotional wellness.
The group first met in May and has already come up with some ideas. They include training workers to offer a listening ear to peers and introducing human resource policies to encourage workers to seek help for mental health woes.
Some of the group’s members are private firms such as DBS, Johnson & Johnson, Edelman, Dell EMC, the British Council and Hush Teabar.
Also included are public agencies such as the National University Health System, National Council of Social Service and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
“We want to bring together leaders from all sectors to raise awareness of mental wellness and create solutions for workplace well-being because mental health is increasingly challenging productivity and innovation,” said the group’s spokesman Anthea Ong, founder of social enterprise Hush Teabar.
Some companies see the need to provide mental health support and have signed up with external agencies to provide an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), usually involving personal counselling and other courses for workers.
Last August, the Singapore Anglican Community Services (SACS) became the first voluntary welfare organisation here to offer what they call an EAP+ programme, to provide employees of other firms with face-to-face counselling, e-mail consultation and a dedicated counselling hotline.
Private companies, such as the Centre For Effective Living, also offer such programmes. The centre has seen a 10% to 20% increase in corporate clients over the past three years and now supports some 170 companies, covering more than 65,000 employees in Singapore.
Its business development manager Phua Honghao said most seek counselling not for work but personal and family issues. “These symptoms of stress may lead to them developing a mental health condition or increase the risk of suicide,” said Mr Phua. The centre sees about 10 to 15 workers with suicidal tendencies a year.
A study published in 2012 by the Institute of Mental Health found that 86% of the mentally ill in the workforce did not seek help.
Mental health advocate Nawira Baig, 26, said it is important to have leaders talk about mental wellness and to train supervisors to spot and respond appropriately to those with emotional distress.
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Source: The Straits Times, 8 July 2018